The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Benison \Ben"i*son\, n. [OE. beneysun, benesoun, OF. bene["i]?un, bene["i]son, fr. L. benedictio, fr. benedicere to bless; bene (adv. of bonus good) + dicere to say. See Bounty, and Diction, and cf. Benediction.] Blessing; beatitude; benediction. --Shak. [1913 Webster] More precious than the benison of friends. --Talfourd. [1913 Webster]WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
benison n 1: a spoken blessing